Research tenders are contracts to deliver research or evaluation for a public body. You are paid under a contract to answer the question the buyer sets, which is different from a grant. This page shows live notices, explains why some R&D contracts are never advertised, covers what buyers usually ask research suppliers for, and sets out how small consultancies and evaluators can win. It also covers data protection, DBS checks and below-threshold work. Our tender eligibility checker is coming soon. Until then, tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon.
Research contracts vs research grants
This page covers contracts: a public body decides what research or evaluation it needs, publishes the requirement and pays a supplier to deliver it. You’ll usually see a specification, evaluation criteria and a price.
A grant works the other way round. A funder sets a theme, researchers propose their own project and a panel decides who gets funding. Grants run through funding competitions rather than tenders, so they sit outside this page.
A quick test: if the document asks for a price against a specification, it’s most likely a tender. If it asks for a proposal and a budget against a funding call, it’s most likely a grant. The first page of the documents will tell you.
Why some R&D contracts are never advertised
Not every public contract has to follow the Procurement Act’s rules. Schedule 2 of the Act lists exempted contracts. Paragraph 22 covers a contract for research and development services to a contracting authority, where the authority intends the services to be for, or to result in, benefit to the public, and the contract doesn’t also provide for goods or works.
“Research and development services” has a defined meaning in paragraph 22. It covers research to acquire new scientific or technical knowledge, research directed at a particular objective, development using existing knowledge to create new materials, processes or services, and the manufacture and testing of prototypes. It excludes services that include producing tools for manufacture or developing industrial processes to make goods or works.
The government’s guidance says an exempted contract is one to which the rules on covered procurement don’t apply, so the buyer has freedom in how it buys. It may still advertise. Don’t assume the work you want is hidden, but don’t assume it will always be listed either. Building relationships with research buyers matters as much as watching notices.
The guidance adds two points about R&D. A buyer can also award a contract directly where the direct award justification for prototypes and development applies (Schedule 5, paragraph 2), which the guidance says has a wider scope for R&D than the exemption (paragraph 42). And a buyer can procure R&D under a competitive flexible procedure, for example by building an R&D phase into a procurement so it can also buy the resulting product (paragraph 43). So R&D work reaches the market by more than one route, and not all of them look like a standard open tender.
What buyers usually ask research suppliers for
Data protection when you handle participant data, and Cyber Essentials where PPN 014 applies
If you handle participant data, the Data Protection Act 2018 applies. Expect questions on consent, storage, anonymisation and who can see raw data. The Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018 set out the data protection fee, so check whether you must pay it.
PPN 014 applies to central government departments, their agencies, non-departmental public bodies and NHS bodies. It treats a contract as higher risk where the supplier handles any of four things:
- citizens’ personal information, such as home addresses or bank details
- personal information of government employees
- ICT systems or services designed to store or process data at OFFICIAL level
- information about the day-to-day business of government, service delivery or public finances
A research contract can touch these. A survey or interview study with members of the public, for example, may mean you hold citizens’ contact details, and an evaluation of a government service may mean you hold information about how it runs. Whether the PPN applies to a given contract is for the buyer to decide, so check the pack. Where it does apply, Cyber Essentials (or equivalent) evidence is needed before award, and certification must be renewed annually for the duration of the contract.
DBS checks for research with children or vulnerable adults
If your research involves children or vulnerable adults, the DBS eligibility guidance says Standard and Enhanced DBS checks are only available where the role meets the legal criteria (England and Wales); Basic checks are open to anyone. The employer is legally responsible for making sure the role is eligible for the level it requests. Work out which of your fieldworkers fall in scope before you bid.
Some roles qualify for an Enhanced check with barred list(s). The DBS publishes separate eligibility guides for roles working with children and for roles working with adults (both published on 1 September 2026), so read the one that matches your fieldwork.
Relevant expertise, named team and cover
Buyers will want to see who does the work, what they’ve done before and how the team is led. Professional indemnity levels vary by contract and we can’t source typical figures. Check the pack. See professional indemnity insurance.
How to win research and evaluation contracts
Look at below-threshold work
From 1 January 2026, services contracts fall under the full Act rules at £135,018 including VAT for central government and £207,720 for other authorities. Below that, when tenders are invited the buyer can’t restrict who may tender by assessing suitability (Welsh devolved buyers follow their own rules, and call-offs from frameworks are excluded). That is where a sole consultant or small evaluation firm can compete without a pre-qualification stage.
If a buyer advertises a below-threshold contract worth £12,000 or more (central government, including NHS trusts) or £30,000 or more (other authorities), including VAT, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice. Buyers can also invite quotes from chosen suppliers without advertising.
Make method, sampling and ethics the centre of your answer
Research bids are scored on whether the design will answer the question. Explain your approach, how you’ll reach the right participants, how you’ll handle bias and consent, and what you’ll do if recruitment falls short. A weak method with a strong CV rarely reads well; a clear method with an honest plan for risks does.
Partner with universities or larger consultancies
A bigger contract may need capacity or specialist skills you don’t have. Teaming up lets each partner do what it does best. Agree who leads, who holds the contract and how you’ll share work and data before you submit, not after.
Know your buyers
In the week to 10 Oct 2026, UKRI and UKAEA each published 4 live notices (as of 10 Oct 2026). Those are counts of all their notices, not just research. Look at what each buys, and set alerts for repeat buyers.
For related lines of work, see consultancy tenders and business services tenders.
Questions
What's the difference between a research tender and a research grant?
A tender is a purchase: a public body specifies the research it wants, you bid to deliver it, and it pays you under a contract. A grant is funding for research you propose, awarded through a funding competition. This page covers contracts, not grants.
Why isn't every government research contract advertised?
Some research and development contracts are exempted contracts under Schedule 2 of the Procurement Act 2023. Where the services are intended to be for, or result in, public benefit and the contract doesn't also provide goods or works, the Act's covered procurement rules don't apply. The buyer may still choose to advertise.
Are research contracts small enough for a sole consultant?
Some are. Below the thresholds, when tenders are invited the buyer can't restrict who may tender by assessing suitability (Welsh devolved buyers and framework call-offs aside). If a buyer advertises a below-threshold contract worth £12,000 or more (central government, including NHS trusts) or £30,000 or more (other authorities), including VAT, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice. Buyers can also invite quotes from chosen suppliers without advertising. Read the notice's value and any lots to see whether it fits.
Do I need DBS checks for research with children?
It depends on the role. Standard and Enhanced DBS checks are only available where the role meets the legal criteria (England and Wales); Basic checks are open to anyone. The employer is responsible for deciding the role is eligible for the level it requests. If your research involves contact with children or vulnerable adults, the tender pack will say what the buyer expects.